The present invention relates to semiconductor packages and methods of fabricating semiconductor packages.
As demand for improved performance and reduction in the cost of semiconductor devices such as power semiconductor devices increases, the size of semiconductor devices decreases while the performance thereof increases. Specifically, it is anticipated that to reduce the cost of manufacturing more die must be fabricated out of a single wafer, while each die must provide better characteristics, such as more current carrying capability per unit area. Consequently, it is expected that as the die size decreases the electrodes thereof that make external connection via, for example, a solder body will also decrease in size while the current passed therethrough will increase.
It is believed that the reduction in the size of the electrodes combined with an increase in the current load passing through the electrode and its solder connection, particularly in the presence of high switching frequencies, may result in a higher than desirable failure rate in the solder connection due, for example, to electromigration or the like phenomenon.
Furthermore, it may become difficult for the end users of semiconductor die to adapt to connecting semiconductor die to conductive pads or the like of circuit boards if the electrodes are made small.